Lentil pasta with fennel soy sausage and broccoli
20 min · 33 g protein · 368 cals / serving
The Italian weeknight favorite of sausage, broccoli and pasta, made with soy mince seasoned like sweet Italian sausage: fennel seed, sage, oregano, smoked paprika and chili. The broccoli cooks in the same pot as the lentil pasta, and garlic, lemon and nutritional yeast bring it all together in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 7 oz red lentil pasta (dry weight) red lentil pasta, orecchiette, shells or penne
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into small florets
Soy sausage
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp fennel seed, lightly crushed
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp paprika, smoked
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 1/4 cups textured vegetable protein (tvp), dry, dry soy mince (TVP)
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth, hot
- 2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup pasta water water
- 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
Steps
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lentil pasta according to the package, usually 6–8 minutes. Add the broccoli florets for the last 3 minutes, so both are just tender at the same time.
- Meanwhile make the soy sausage: warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the garlic, fennel seed, sage, oregano, smoked paprika and chili flakes and stir for 30 seconds. Add the dry soy mince, toss to coat, then pour in the hot broth and soy sauce. Cover and cook 4 minutes, then uncover and fry 3–4 minutes more, stirring, until the crumbles are dry and browned at the edges.
- Scoop out a mug of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and broccoli and tip them into the skillet. Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice and about 1/4 cup of the pasta water and toss over the heat for a minute, until everything is coated and glossy. Taste for salt and chili.
Good to know
Does it really taste like sausage?
Fennel seed is what makes Italian sausage taste like itself, and with sage, smoked paprika and chili the soy mince gets surprisingly close. Crush the seeds lightly in a mortar or under a knife so they release their flavor.
Regular pasta?
Orecchiette is the classic shape; use the same dry weight. It is softer and lower in protein, at about 59 instead of 65.
Per
- Calories
- 108
- Protein
- (36%)
- 10 g
- Fat
- (14%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (50%)
- 15 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 188 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1471 kcal goes into the pot and 1419 g of ingredients comes out as about 1362 g of food: 108 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.